You May Not Like What Judges Told Michael Jackson’s Mother Following Another Dispute Involving His Estate

This year marks 15 years without the King of Pop, and even after all this time, his family still can’t get it together. Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, has been fighting against her son’s estate controllers after they “secretly” sold half of the late singer’s music catalog worth $600 million to Sony Music Group back in February, according to BillBoard.

In a recent appeal, Katherine’s lawyers first argued the estate should be held in contempt for closing the Sony deal while her initial objection was still being disputed. Fast forward, Katherine, who is listed as a lifetime beneficiary to her son’s estate, says the deal allegedly violates the terms of Michael’s will.

In full, Katherine lawyers claimed “the estate did not need the cash generated by the sale, the sale violated Michael’s wishes as communicated to various members of his family, and the executors took no steps to confirm that the sale price was at or above fair market value.”

It’s clear Katherine and Michael’s estate have had serious beef, and although she was hoping to gain some kind of victory over estate co-executors, Attorney John Branca and A&R executive John McClain, the panel ruled the case a “Black or White” matter. In agreement with Michael’s estate, the judges wrote “Katherine’s challenge fails on the merits because the probate court’s order does not violate the terms of Michael’s will,” according to the tentative obtained by The Rolling Stone.

Michael’s will told the executors to “sell off as little of the estate as possible after paying legitimate estate debts,” which doesn’t specify exact limitations according to the judges. With the will’s ambiguous language, that leaves Branca and McClain in control and Katherine “Speechless.”

The appellate panel’s opinion is expected to take effect over the next 90 days. One of Katherine’s lawyers was set to speak regarding the appeal but waved his appearance shortly after the judges announced the tentative.

Legal battles between Michael’s estate and his family will likely continue citing the ongoing probate court case. Until the probate closes, the heirs to Michael’s estate: his mother and three children, Bigi (formally known as Blanket), Prince, and Paris will simply have to wait.